Department for Transport

West Coast Railway Line: Greater London

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have made of the effect on (i) business and (ii) the visitor economy on Blackpool of the decision by Network Rail to close all direct lines north of London on the West Coast Line for engineering works at Wembley for the first three weekends in August 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport expects Network Rail to work with Train Operators to seek to minimise the inconvenience to passengers of essential engineering work.

Railways: North West

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on on (i) businesses and (ii) the visitor economy in Blackpoolof Network Rail's decision to close the lines between Manchester and Preston for upgrade works from 25 August 2018 to 2 September 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Network Rail programme has been agreed with the train operators to enable the completion of this key upgrade before the end of the year. Once complete, it will enable modern trains to run, with more seats. Network Rail has also recently completed the upgrade of the route to the north of this, between Preston and Blackpool meaning that, together, these improvements will enable modern, faster trains, with more seats, to run between Blackpool and Manchester. This will also mean that trains currently in use between Manchester and Preston can be used elsewhere on the network, enabling an improved service across the north. The Department for Transport expects Network Rail to work with Train Operators to seek to minimise the inconvenience to passengers of essential engineering work.

Northern: Compensation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the full details of the routes and services covered by the compensation scheme for the Transport in the North service area; as set out in the letter of 29 June 2018 to hon. Members from the Minister of State for Transport.

Joseph Johnson: Transport for the North and/or the Train Operator will publish the details of the scheme once Transport for the North has determined the scope of the package.

Railways: North West

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter of 29 June 2018 from the Minister of State for Transport to hon. Members, if he will publish (a) the full details of the marketing campaigns for tourism affected by rail disruptions in the Blackpool and Cumbria areas, (b) the date on which they will start and (c) who will operate them.

Joseph Johnson: Transport for the North are working with Northern to develop details of the compensation package. This includes marketing campaigns for affected areas such as Blackpool and Cumbria and will be announced by Transport for the North or the Operator in due course, based on local prioritisation.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Tom Pursglove: What support his Department is providing to enable repairs to be made to road network infrastructure.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is providing £6.2 billion to local highway authorities in England, outside London, from 2015 to 2021 to enable repairs to be made to all highway infrastructure assets maintainable at public expense. The funding includes a £296 million Pothole Action Fund. Highways England are also spending £400 million per annum for renewal of the road surfaces for which they are responsible.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Rachel Maclean: What steps he is taking to improve the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Jesse Norman: My hon. Friend is right to focus on charging points. We have a large charging point network, and we are rapidly expanding it. As she knows, we have just announced a local charging infrastructure fund of £400 million. A lot of work is being done with local authorities, and I encourage my hon. Friend to work with us to develop further charging points in her area.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fuel Poverty

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of regional disparity in energy poverty; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of households living in energy poverty in Blackburn.

Claire Perry: Fuel poverty figures by region can be found in Table 6 of the fuel poverty detailed tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fuel-poverty-detailed-tables-2018 The number of households living in fuel poverty in Blackburn in 2016 is estimated to be 6,400 (15.4 per cent). Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2018, Table 5

Energy: Meters

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to protect consumers from increased energy charges due to faulty smart meters.

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to help ensure consumers are compensated for increased energy charges caused by faulty smart meters or their readings.

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what measures are in place to ensure that energy companies comprehensively investigate reasons for variations in meter readings when analogue meters are replaced by smart meters.

Claire Perry: Getting a smart meter is the best way to avoid inaccurate bills and increased energy costs. Smart meters are bringing an end to estimated billing and are expected to take an estimated £300m off energy bills in 2020 alone. Smart meters must comply with relevant legislation on measurement, which are the Measuring Instruments (Active Electrical Energy Meters) Regulations 2006 and the Measuring Instruments (Gas Meters) Regulations 2006. The accuracy of all meters is also monitored through the in-service testing (IST) scheme, and energy suppliers have strong commercial incentives to ensure that smart meters installed are accurate and function correctly given the costs of replacement.Ofgem require suppliers to treat customers fairly, including setting out in contracts compensation and refund arrangements which apply if contracted quality service levels are not met, including inaccurate and delayed billing. These requirements apply with smart meters as they do with traditional meters. Instances of back-billing sometimes occur after installations of smart meters due to an absence of meter readings from a legacy meter, and are often mistakenly attributed to a smart meter being faulty. BEIS has worked with energy suppliers to identify and share good practice to mitigate the risk and impact of consumers receiving back-bills when they have a smart meter fitted, and energy suppliers cannot back-bill their domestic customers for more than 12 months where the consumer is not at fault.

Directors

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable former directors of companies to require the removal of their name by those companies from company materials.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has no such plans. Limited liability is a privileged status through which individuals are able to carry out business while limiting the extent of their personal liabilities to third parties. There is a public interest in third parties being able to establish the trading history of an individual who has been a director of limited liability companies.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for his Department to classify the compatibility of SMETS2 gas meters with the DCCs communication systems as reliable, and what assessment he has made of the effect of that timetable  on progress on the 2020 deadline for the smart meters roll-out programme.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meters a DCC communications hub will need to have (a) tested and (b) operating on its communication system before a decision can be made on the reliability of that system.

Claire Perry: This is a matter for individual energy suppliers to decide. Their assessment of the reliability of their SMETS2 offering will need to take account of, amongst other things, their own progress in integrating their meters with the DCC system and the testing of their own back office systems.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the end date for the installation of SMETS1 meters has been extended again; and what assessment he has made of the effect of multiple extensions to the SMETS1 deadline on the readiness of the supply chains for (a) SMETS1 and (b) SMETS2 meters.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent extension to the SMETS1 installation deadline on the installation capacity of energy suppliers.

Claire Perry: The leading energy suppliers have started rolling out SMETS2 meters to their customers and others are working with the Data Communications Company to complete testing of SMETS2 meters ahead of moving to full scale roll-out. The Government is consulting on making a final adjustment to the deadline for installing SMETS1 meters to give those energy suppliers who need more time to ensure their customers get a good experience of SMETS2 meters from the outset and so consumers can continue to benefit from SMETS1 meter installations in the meantime.  We have amended the proposed deadline in response to evidence from energy suppliers and the DCC and have given notice to allow energy suppliers to manage the transition including in relation to installation capacity.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the installation of SMETS2 meters is taking longer than that of SMETS1 meters; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that time taken on (a) installation costs and (b) the customer experience.

Claire Perry: Feedback from energy suppliers based on their SMETS2 installations does not indicate that installation times will be materially different to SMETS1 installation times once installer experience of second generation metering matures. We will continue to monitor the consumer experience as SMETS2 deployment increases.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on the plans of the Data Communications Company to (a) enrol and (b) adopt SMETS1 meters; what information he holds on the timetable for the completion of those plans; and whether the services of the DCC need to be fully scalable and reliable before those plans can be completed.

Claire Perry: Work to design, build and test a service to enrol and adopt SMETS1 meters continues. This will see the Data and Communications Company (DCC) link its systems to at least two companies already providing SMETS1 services to energy suppliers at scale. The DCC’s current plan is that the enrolment service for the first cohort of SMETS1 meters will go live at the end of the year. We expect to publish the Government’s conclusions to consultations in this area later this summer and to consult on enrolment of the remaining cohorts of SMETS1 meters.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on a communications solution for signal penetration issues which prevent the installation of smart meters in properties.

Claire Perry: The Data Comms Company has contracted for Wide Area Network coverage for at least 99.25% of premises in Great Britain. The Government’s strategy for smart metering Home Area Network (HAN) coverage aims to ensure 100% HAN coverage. The core solution ensures 70% of premises have Home Area Network coverage. This will increase to around 95% of premises from early 2019. Industry is working to develop HAN solutions for the remaining c. 5% of premises.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2018 to Question 151046 on Energy: Meters, how many full-time equivalent working hours it will take his Department to convert the installation costs from the 2016 Cost-Benefit Analysis expressed in 2011 prices into current prices for comparison.

Claire Perry: The Government publishes supplementary guidance to the HMT Green Book which includes information that can be used to convert values in 2011 prices to current prices. The guidance is available in Table 19 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/valuation-of-energy-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-for-appraisal.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of the 14 June to Question 151039 on Energy: Meters, how his Department calculated the £1.50 per customer allowance for the cost of the smart meter roll-out to energy suppliers in the pre-payment meter price cap; and how many SMETS2 gas meters that have been (a) installed and (b) connected to the DCC communication system.

Claire Perry: Ofgem are responsible for setting the safeguard tariff (or ‘price cap’) for pre-payment meter customers and it was not calculated by BEIS. As of the end of June 2018 there were over 2000 SMETS2 meters connected to the DCC live environment, over 1000 of these were gas meters.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of the 14 June to Question 151038 on Energy: Meters, whether (a) there is a duty on Ofgem to use that methodology; and (b) the methodology proposed will ensure that the full cost of installations will be reflected in the tariff cap.

Claire Perry: It is for Ofgem to determine the methodology for proposed the price cap and in doing so must take account of the views of stakeholders as part of their consultation process.

Water-cooled Reactors: Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 136693 on Wylfa Power Station: Construction, if he will publish the criteria by which the process of regulatory justification assessed the (a) reliability, (b) costs, and (c) implications for energy security of the use of advanced boiling water reactors in the UK, including at the new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd, Wales.

Richard Harrington: Regulatory Justification represents the process of considering the benefits of a particular class or type of practice in light of the potential health detriments associated with it.The types of practices covered by this process vary significantly and the comparison of benefits and detriments is dependent on the nature of the practice being considered. Applicants are expected to appraise the benefits and detriments associated with their proposed activity and these applications are scrutinised by Government prior to making a justification decision.Consideration of energy security, including reliability, and other economic effects associated with the UK ABWR is set out in Chapter 5 of the Regulatory Justification decision. In considering these aspects, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State took account of the application, views expressed as part of public consultations on both the application and proposed decision and relevant Government policy at the time.

Supermarkets: Small Businesses

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support SME suppliers to supermarkets.

Andrew Griffiths: Small and medium-sized businesses that supply directly to supermarkets covered by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice are supported by the work of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, who ensures they are treated lawfully and fairly. The Government is also acting to tackle the late payment culture across all sectors. At Spring Statement 2018, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a call for evidence on how to eliminate unfair payment practices to small businesses, which will seek views on how the Government can go further to deliver a fair payment culture. More widely, small and medium-sized businesses in England can access support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline and, through our Industrial Strategy, we will continue to back them to grow and create jobs by providing an environment in which they can thrive.

Asda: J Sainsbury

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to support suppliers and consumer choice after the merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda.

Andrew Griffiths: Direct suppliers to Sainsbury’s and Asda are already covered by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and benefit from the work of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to ensure they are treated lawfully and fairly. They will continue to be protected by the Code and the Adjudicator should the proposed merger go ahead.Under the Enterprise Act 2002 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have the powers to investigate, independently of Government, whether mergers raise competition issues that could have an impact on consumer choice. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has written to the Chief Executive of the CMA to express his view that, when assessing the proposed merger of Sainsbury’s and ASDA, the CMA should consider the possible impact on the supply chain.The Government will continue to monitor closely this proposed merger.

Bureaux de Change: Consumers

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is planning to update his Department's guidance, BIS guidance for foreign exchange providers: compliance with consumer protection legislation, published on 20 September 2012.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department has no current plans to amend the guidance. Proposals to amend the Cross Border Payments Regulation are currently going through the European Legislative process and HMG is working with other Member States on these proposals. These contain provisions relating to transparency of currency conversion in certain instances. The Department will consider in due course whether an update to the guidance is necessary.

Fire Prevention: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2018 to Question 156340 on fire prevention: insulation, who was contracted by InnovateUK to carry out that work; and what deadline was set for the completion of that work.

Richard Harrington: InnovateUK provided funding for this project to the Manufacturing Technology Centre, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, with the aim that this would be concluded by April 2018. The original programme of work was completed within that time period, but the project was extended in order to undertake further R&D in some of the areas identified during the first phase of work.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Democratic Republic of Congo: Diplomatic Service

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens have received consular assistance from HM Government following detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last eight years.

Harriett Baldwin: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 June 2018.The correct answer should have been:

Since 2010, 39 British nationals have received consular assistance from the Government due to arrest and/or detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This figure also includes arrests and/or detentions from the Repulic of Congo which is covered from our Embassy in Kinshasa.

Harriett Baldwin: Since 2010, 39 British nationals have received consular assistance from the Government due to arrest and/or detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This figure also includes arrests and/or detentions from the Repulic of Congo which is covered from our Embassy in Kinshasa.

Chad: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Government of Chad on adherence to fundamental freedoms including religious expression.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The Foreign Secretary is yet to meet his Chadian counterpart. The UK opened an office in N’Djamena in March 2018 enabling us to develop our dialogue with the Chadian authorities and work on our shared interest in the security, stability and prosperity of Chad and the Sahel region. The UK is concerned about the human rights situation in Chad, and continues to urge the Chadian authorities to offer all its citizens the opportunity to participate fully in the country's political, economic, cultural and religious life.

Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to report in light of the National Security Capability Review 2018 on the settled strategy for the coordinated deployment of UK soft power.

Mark Field: The National Security Capability Review 2018 recommended the creation of a cross-government soft power strategy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading the development of this strategy working with Departments across Whitehall and aims to publish the final strategy in late autumn.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections and Human Rights

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the (a) maintenance of human rights and (b) organisation of free and fair elections in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government is deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Following the violent clampdown on protestors on 31 December and 21 January, the UK released statements condemning the violence and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.We have called upon the DRC government, as a UN Human Rights Council member, to demonstrate its commitment to the highest human rights standards and take decisive action against human rights abuses and violations.The UK is supporting a resolution at the Human Rights Council in July 2018 extending the mandate of an international investigation into the violence in the Kasai regions.The UK regularly raises with the Government of DRC the need to hold elections in December 2018 in accordance with the DRC constitution.I saw first-hand the impact of the conflict and insecurity upon the Congolese population when I visited in April. During my visit I called for the Government of DRC to hold free and fair elections in December 2018.

USA: Immigration

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the US Government's family separation policy; and whether he plans to raise that issue with the US President during his upcoming visit to the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister was clear that the separation of children from their parents at the border was disturbing and wrong. President Trump has now signed an Executive Order aimed at ending the separation policy.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings the Exit Programme Directors' Group has held since November 2017; and what the dates were of those meetings.

Mr Steve Baker: The Exit Programme Directors' Group provides a forum for exit programme directors across government to share good practice, information and feedback. The group meets monthly.

Department of Health and Social Care

Drugs: Cost Effectiveness

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) NICE, (b) NHS England and (c) representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on reducing the cost-effectiveness threshold for NICE technology appraisals.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to supporting the United Kingdom life sciences industry and ensuring that patients can access cost-effective innovative medicines and technologies at a price the National Health Service can afford. The Department has regular and ongoing dialogue with NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, as well as representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, on matters related to medicines pricing and patient access to new treatments.

Sapropterin

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for NICE to review the commissioning report for Kuvan.

Steve Brine: Kuvan is being considered in the topic selection process at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and will be discussed by the topic selection group in September. If consensus is reached with all the decision makers, NICE will develop a scope which defines the disease, the patients and the technologies covered by the appraisal and the questions it aims to answer. This will then be subject to consultation in September.

Carers: Finance

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the (a) Green Paper on Social Care, and (b) parallel work-stream on working-age adults will include proposals for financial support for carers.

Caroline Dinenage: Carers need to be at the heart of discussions on a sustainable settlement for social care. As well as making an invaluable difference to the people they support, carers are vital partners in the health and social care system. The Green Paper will, therefore, include a focus on how society supports carers to ensure that they are properly valued, recognised and supported to provide care in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. Further details will be included in the Green Paper. The workstream on working age adults will consider issues which uniquely affect working age adults. As caring is relevant to people of all ages, issues affecting carers will be included in the Green Paper. Carers have access to the full range of social security benefits according to their circumstances. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, meaning an additional £550 a year for carers.

Health Services: Developing Countries

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will raise the issue of universal healthcare in developing nations at (a) the World Health Organisation and (b) other international fora.

Steve Brine: Ministers and senior officials from the Department take appropriate opportunities to raise the issue of universal healthcare (UHC) in developing nations. Most recently in delivering the United Kingdom national address to the World Health Assembly, in Geneva, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care stressed the importance of universal access to basic healthcare. We will continue to raise this important issue in relevant international fora such as the G7 and G20, and will be engaging in the work led by the Department for International Development to call for greater collective action at the UN high-level meeting on UHC at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.

Department of Health and Social Care: Disclosure of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department facilitates information-sharing with his counterparts in developing countries.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the role and remit is of Global Health Team within his Department.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has two key teams dealing with global health. The International team leads on the United Kingdom’s relationship with the World Health Organization and health aspects of other international bodies and fora, including certain other United Nation organisations, G7, G20 and the Commonwealth, working closely with the Department for International Development and other partners across Government. It also leads on the Department of Health and Social Care’s bilateral relationships with other countries; on co-ordinating strategy across Government; and on the health implications of trade. This collaboration entails information-sharing with a number of countries including lower and middle income countries (LMICs), including during international meetings, through the facilitation of visits by overseas delegations, and by working with officials at the Department for International Development on their programmes. The Global Health Security team, through the Department’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation, works closely with a number of LMICs to share best practice and build capacity including through the Fleming Fund to strengthen surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the International Health Regulations strengthening project and the UK Public Health Rapid Support team. The team also works to support the Chief Medical Officer in strengthening international collaboration to tackle AMR. In addition, the Global Health Research team uses ODA funding to commission and deliver research of direct and primary benefit to people in LMICs, through the National Institute of Health Research, to improve global health outcomes. Public Health England (PHE) delivers ongoing programmes of work in developing countries to provide training and facilitate health systems strengthening. Information sharing is part of this work. PHE also works with specific countries to improve their capability for compliance with the International Health Regulations, and has formal memoranda of understanding with India and Nigeria to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise. The PHE United Kingdom Public Health Rapid Support Team responds to urgent requests from official development assistance eligible countries to support them to control disease outbreaks.

Strokes: Health Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department allocated to Public Health England’s Act FAST campaign in each of the last three financial years.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Public Health England’s Act FAST campaign in saving lives and preventing serious disability.

Steve Brine: The funding allocated to the Act Face Arms Speech Time (FAST) media spend is as follows: 2015-16: £920,0002016-17: £1.15 million2017-18: £1.29 million Marketing spend is defined for this purpose as advertising spend covering only the media costs (inclusive of agency commission). These figures do not include recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. All Public Health England spend over £25,000, including on public health campaigns, is published routinely and available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/phe-spend-over-25000 The campaign’s effectiveness is evaluated in a number of ways including reviewing 999 call data from regional ambulance trusts and modelling clinical outcomes. This research has shown that between the launch of Act FAST in 2009 and 2016, it is estimated that an additional 47,804 people reached hospital within the vital three-hour window and 5,365 fewer people became disabled as a result of a stroke in the period. Further information is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/646715/public_health_england_marketing_strategy_2017_to_2020.pdf

Strokes: Health Services

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the progress made by sustainability and transformation partnerships in reconfiguring acute stroke services.

Steve Brine: A number of areas across the country including London, Greater Manchester and Northumbria, have taken an active lead on the improvement of acute stroke services through service reconfiguration. Many sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) are beginning to follow suit, with the significant opportunities being highlighted by the NHS Rightcare Stroke Pathway which collates key evidence along with indicative examples of best practice commissioning. The national stroke programme will accelerate the speed of change, with significant leadership from Integrated Care System vanguards, who are particularly well placed to take a cross-system approach to improving patient-centred care in their areas. An increasing number of STPs are also benefitting from NHS England’s specialist commissioning of regional thrombectomy centres. In addition to providing some stroke patients with access to new life-changing treatment, thrombectomy centres also support the development of streamlined acute stroke pathways, improving the quality of care for many more stroke survivors.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the cost to (a) local authorities and (b) other social care providers of retrospectively funding sleep-in shifts at the national minimum wage rate; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the care sector’s ability to provide services of funding that back-pay.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to (a) local authorities and (b) other social care providers to retrospectively fund sleep-in shifts at the national minimum wage rate.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the pressures that sleep-in liabilities are placing on local authorities and social care providers, and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary. In the interim, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders, including both local authorities and providers, to ensure that we have a clear understanding of any impact the sector may face. The Department commissioned market analysis to assess the impact of National Minimum Wage liabilities across the social care sector. This work forms part of the evidence base that is being used to assess options and is subject to further analysis and refinement. The Department has committed to sharing a summary of the analysis at the appropriate time.

Food: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  if he will take steps to ensure that (a) food safety regulations and (b) the system of food safety inspections at borders will be (i) maintained and (ii) operational in the event of disruption of food flows after (A) April 2019 and (B) at the end of the transition period.

Steve Brine: It remains a top priority as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union to ensure there remains a robust and effective regulatory regime for maintaining the safety of food, including imported food, for the benefit of UK consumers and of the UK food industry. The UK remains a member of the EU until it has negotiated its exit and will continue to comply with EU food and feed legislation during this time. If any rules change after EU Exit, we will apply our usual rigorous risk assessment to those changes and ensure public safety remains at the heart of everything we do. Government Departments are working closely together to ensure we have a robust system in place for checking imported food and feed after leaving the EU. Food safety will remain central to any new system and we will ensure business can continue as normal. A range of solutions are being investigated to ensure that from day one food and feed imports can continue to enter the UK with the appropriate checks. Departments are also working together to identify the range of issues that will impact on the borders, including pinch points for specific ports and capacity for food sampling. A range of options are being investigated to address these issues and ensure that effective solutions are in place.

Social Services

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the delay to publishing the green paper on social care on people who are not receiving an adequate level of care.

Caroline Dinenage: It is important to take the time to get the details right for a better care system, so that people receive high standards of care, helping them maintain their independence and well-being. This is why we want to integrate plans for social care with the new National Health Service plan, we therefore now intend to publish the social care Green Paper in the autumn around the same time as the NHS plan. In the meantime, all councils have statutory duties to look after the vulnerable, elderly and disabled people in their area. The Care Act 2014 requires that where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, local authorities should signpost people to relevant services. The Care Act 2014 also placed a new duty on councils to offer a meaningful choice of services, so that people have a range of high quality, appropriate care options to choose from and that they get the services that best meet their needs. The Government recognises the pressures on the social care system. This is why the Government announced an additional £2 billion at Spring Budget 2017 for adult social care over the three years from 2017-18. With this, and other measures, the Government has given councils access to £9.4 billion dedicated funding for adult social care over three years.

Food: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the Netherlands, (b) France, (c) Belgium, (d) Spain, (e) Ireland and (f) Denmark on the potential implications for food safety border controls of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Steve Brine: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had specific discussions with the counterparts in the countries listed on the potential implications for food safety border controls of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal. The UK has world leading standards of food safety and quality, backed by a rigorous legislative framework; we will maintain these high standards once the UK leaves the European Union. The Government remains committed to promoting robust food standards nationally and internationally, to protect consumer interests, facilitate international trade, and ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. The Department of Health and Social Care, the Food Standards Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are working closely together to ensure that these high food standards are maintained.

Food: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of the suspension of food safety border controls in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Steve Brine: Maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime for ensuring the safety of food, including imported food, remains a top priority as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union. A range of solutions are being investigated to ensure that from day one, imported food and feed can continue to enter the UK with the appropriate checks. Our planning will ensure that, from the day the UK leaves the EU, we will have the necessary resources to continue to protect UK consumers from food safety risks.

Motor Neurone Disease: Medical Equipment

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Health Trusts have made available Head Up collars to patients with motor neurone disease.

Steve Brine: This data is not collected centrally. The provision of Head Up collars is a local matter overseen by clinical commissioning groups. The Head Up Collar was designed, developed and produced by a project headed by the National Institute for Health Research. It was announced on 30 May 2018 that the neck collar would be made available on the National Health Service. At this time the neck support collar was being used with suitable patients at 25 NHS trusts. The announcement can be found via the following link: www.nihr.ac.uk/news/revolutionary-neck-support-collar-now-available-on-the-nhs-for-people-with-motor-neuron-disease/8583

Ophthalmic Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to prioritise eye health in the NHS mandate; and what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the NHS to respond effectively to changes in the level of demand for eye health treatments.

Steve Brine: The Department is giving careful consideration to all the recommendations from the recent report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on eye health ‘See the light: Improving capacity in NHS eye care in England’ including the recommendation on the mandate for NHS England. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning secondary care ophthalmic services. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services in the community which go beyond the standard National Health Service sight test, to meet local need. As with all services they commission, CCGs are required to assess the health needs of their local population. The CCG’s responsibility is to ensure that services it commissions meet the needs of the local population. This includes assessing changes in the level of demand.

Visual Impairment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve the quality of emotional and practical support made available on the NHS to patients with poor eye health.

Steve Brine: The Government fully appreciates the impact poor eye health can have on a person’s life and the importance of emotional and practical support available particularly for those newly diagnosed with sight loss. There is a range of support available for those with visual impairments. Individuals certified as severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted) have access to help and support from the point of diagnosis which may include referral to specialist low vision clinics. Many hospitals have Eye Clinic Liaison Officers, or similar early intervention support staff, who work closely with medical and nursing staff in eye clinics. They provide directly or can sign post patients to the practical and other support they need to understand their diagnosis, deal with their sight loss and maintain their independence. Patients certified as having sight impairment are then able to register with their local authority (LA). The LA will then carry out an assessment of the individual’s needs. The support from the National Health Service and local authorities is in addition to the important additional support provided from charities such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Guide Dogs.

Palliative Care

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to develop new indicators for the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework to enable better scrutiny of choice and quality in end of life care.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS England End of Life Care team, its partners and stakeholders regularly seek to identify suitable indicators to better measure choice and quality in end of life care. The NHS England End of Life Programme Board and the Ambitions Partnership for Palliative and End of Life Care meet on a regular basis throughout the year. The review and assessment of the effectiveness of datasets and metrics relating to palliative and end of life care features frequently on the agenda for both groups.

Palliative Care

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with which stakeholders his Department will consult to develop new indicators on end of life care for inclusion in the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS England End of Life Care team would consult with their Ambitions Partners (which includes professional bodies and third sector colleagues) as well as their clinical network colleagues across the country in such development. Information about the Ambitions Partners can be accessed at the following link: http://endoflifecareambitions.org.uk/partners/ The current plan is to understand the outcomes from the indicator on proportion of people with three or more emergency admissions in 90 days of life before looking at further indicators for End of Life Care in the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework.

National Survey of Bereaved People

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the launch of the new national survey of bereaved people.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paused national survey of bereaved people, whether he plans to run a re-commissioned survey.

Caroline Dinenage: Since 2012 the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey has provided valuable insight into the quality of care delivered to people in the last three months of their lives, highlighting variations in the quality of care delivered in different areas of the country and to different groups of patients. Following publication of the last set of survey results in June 2016, NHS England held a consultation on the future of the VOICES survey to seek views on the approach and relevance of the survey to ensure that it remained fit for purpose. Whilst the response showed that the VOICES survey remained a valuable tool, key amongst its findings were that the majority of respondents indicated that the VOICES survey would be more helpful if the sample size were made large enough to report at a local commissioner level. Following this, work was undertaken to revise the survey and consider approaches to a larger sample size and then put in place arrangements to re-commission the VOICES survey. NHS England has been involved in discussions with the Office for National Statistics, which collects the death registration data used to identify survey recipients, about arrangements for access to the data for the new survey. Changes to the safeguarding arrangements on data-sharing, designed to ensure any concerns about care raised via the survey can be appropriately investigated, have resulted in delays to commencing the new VOICES survey. Work is ongoing to resolve this matter, and a timetable for the publication of the next survey cannot be provided at this time. In the meantime NHS England is exploring the piloting of experience measures, including use of the VOICES survey, at a local level, in a number of National Health Service end of life care demonstrator sites.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money has been spent from the public purse on repayments to EU nations for healthcare provided by those nations for UK nationals since June 2016.

Stephen Barclay: The Department on behalf of the United Kingdom Government reimburses other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under European Union law, irrespective of nationality. In the same way, other EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the UK for the cost of the National Health Service providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. Member State claims against the UK are in local currency so totals are significantly affected by the exchange rate at the time of payment and can mean a difference of millions of pounds. Member States can submit claims up to 18 months in arrears so claims for any 12 month period do not necessarily reflect treatment provided in that period. The figures requested, rounded to the nearest pound, are attached. They include the claims for all treatments, including emergency and planned. Figures for 2017/18 should be published over the summer.



PQ158723 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28.8 KB)

Health Services

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money from the public purse has been spent on (a) medicine, (b) equipment and (c) services from (i) the EU and (ii) the rest of the world since June 20016.

Steve Brine: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. The Department does not hold information on how spend on medicines, services and equipment, is broken down into the European Union and the rest of the world.

Dialysis Machines: Cotswolds

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultation took place prior to the contract for the Cotswold Dialysis Unit being transferred to Braun Medical.

Stephen Barclay: This contract was awarded through competitive tender, and is a seven-year contract due to expire on 31 March 2019. A public consultation was not required as there was no change to the location or model of service provided.

Dialysis Machines: Gloucestershire

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been fully trained to receive dialysis at home in the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust area in each of the last five years for which data are available.

Steve Brine: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that, in the past five years, nine patients have successfully received home haemodialysis (HHD). More patients have undergone training for HHD but not progressed to receiving dialysis at home. The reasons for this include:- the patient does not master the training;- the patient dies before commencing HDD; or- the patient has a successful transplant. It can take some patients up to six months to get to the stage where they are fully trained and the equipment is installed. In relation to peritoneal dialysis (PD), the Trust advises that around 200 patients have undertaken PD in the last five years. 41 patients are currently receiving PD at home.

NHS: Staff

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of staff levels in the NHS in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and adult social care, and we are working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality services on which patients rely following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. On 8 December the UK and EU Commission reached an agreement which delivered on the Prime Minister’s number one priority, to safeguard the rights of people who have built their lives in the UK and EU, following the UK’s exit from the EU. The latest nationality statistics show at March 2018 4,558 more EU nationals excluding the UK (EU27) employed in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups than in June 2016. The agreement will guarantee the rights of the 158,000 EU nationals working in our health and care system. It means that EU citizens living lawfully in the UK and UK nationals living lawfully in the EU by 29 March 2019 will be able to stay and enjoy broadly the same rights and benefits as they do now.

General Practitioners

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a daily cap on appointments to ensure (a) patient safety (b) acceptable working hours for GPs.

Steve Brine: General practitioner (GP) practices are independent contractors to the National Health Service and their contracts require them to provide essential and additional services at such times within core hours, as are appropriate to meet the reasonable needs of patients. Core hours for GP practices contracted under General Medical Services (GMS) contracts are defined as 8:00 – 18:30, Monday – Friday, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Core hours for locally negotiated Personal Medical Services and Alternative Provider Medical Services are set out in their contract but largely mirror GMS opening hours or longer. It is for each practice to determine any appointments system which they feel best meets the needs of their patients. Also, it is for GP practices to organise the delivery of their services to meet the terms of their contracts and to meet quality and safety standards set by the Care Quality Commission. Contractually, GP practices should report any disruption in the delivery of their services which could compromise their ability to meet the needs of their patients. GP practices may seek support from their local commissioner, including agreement to close the practice list to new patients or temporary suspension of patient registrations. The pressures on general practice are well known and that is why the General Practice Forward View sets out a multi-billion pound plan designed to reduce work load.

Social Services: Zero Hours Contracts

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of social care staff who are on a zero hours contract.

Caroline Dinenage: Through their National Minimum Data set, Skills for Care collect data on the number of adult social care workers in England on zero-hours contracts. As at 2016/17 around a quarter (325,000) of the adult social care workforce were on zero-hour contracts.

Social Services: Pay

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) mean average hourly pay (b) median average hourly pay and (c) most common rate of hourly pay for social care workers in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: Skills for Care collects data on adult social care workers in England through their National Minimum Wage data set. The following table details the trends in care worker hourly pay for the independent sector from 2011 to 2018. October 2011-September 2012October 2012-September 2013October 2013-September 2014October 2014-September 2015October 2015-September 2016October 2016-September 2017October 2017-September 2018Median£7.45£7.60£7.69£8.00£8.00£8.30£8.55Mean£6.99£7.11£7.19£7.31£7.54£7.77£8.08Mode£6.08£6.19£6.31£6.50£6.70£7.20£7.50Source: Skills for Care workforce estimates 2011/12 to 2017/18

NHS Walk-in Centres: Closures

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS walk-in centres have closed in England in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Stephen Barclay: The requested information is not centrally held.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of rates of cervical screening for 25-49 year olds in (a) Newcastle, (b) the North East and (c) the UK.

Steve Brine: The most recent quarterly data on coverage for women aged 25-49 years is from September 2017. It is reported that NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) obtained coverage of 67.63% whilst the North of England (combination of 64 CCGs) reported a 71.34% coverage rate. England (total for 2017 CCGs) reported a 69.1% coverage rate. This data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data Public Health England has worked in collaboration with NHS Digital and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to produce a data coverage interactive tool, available to view at the following link: https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMzU0OTVlOWUtNjM3ZS00OGIzLWJiNTctYmZjZGNlMjAyNmU5IiwidCI6IjgwN2YyZjMwLWNhOGMtNDE5Zi1hMTc5LTVjNGZjN2E0YmY2YiIsImMiOjN9 The interactive tool provides timely at a glance data at local authority, CCG and general practice level. CCG and practice ranking is available with coverage maps. The data is updated quarterly and provides opportunity to evaluate local coverage initiatives in a timely way.

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of removing access to gluten-free foods on prescription.

Steve Brine: An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of removing access to gluten-free foods on prescription was undertaken by the Department in the impact and equality impact assessments. The impact assessments can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/678190/GF_foods_impact_assesment.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/678183/Equality_impact_assessment_-_GF_food.pdf

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on CCGs discontinuing prescriptions for gluten-free food; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups hold the budget for primary care prescribing. It is their responsibility to give prescribing guidance to their member general practitioner practices, taking into account best practice, national guidance and the needs of their local populations.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department facilitates knowledge-sharing between the NHS and health minsters in developing countries.

Alistair Burt: DFID funds health partnerships with developing countries to share NHS expertise. These partnerships engage with ministries of health at all levels to share learning, on nurse training and clinical audits for example. As my Hon Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) outlined in his response to you in PQ 158190, the UK government liaises with health ministers through international forums including the G20, World Health Assembly and UN High Level Meetings, sharing our lessons from the NHS to promote progress towards achieving universal health coverage. Several DFID country programmes include NHS partnerships in response to ministry demand, such as Ghana and Zambia. DFID also supports the DHSC’s high level engagement on global health security and antimicrobial resistance, patient safety and mental health with developing countries, including the upcoming first Global Ministerial Summit on Mental Health.

Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which countries are the 10 largest recipients of Official Development Assistance.

Alistair Burt: The latest details of the top 10 largest recipients of UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 2016 are given in the table below. Top 10 recipient countries of UK bilateral ODA, 2016:CountryPakistanSyriaEthiopiaNigeriaAfghanistanTanzaniaJordanSouth SudanSierra LeoneSomaliaSource: Statistics on International Development

Saudi Arabia: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance his Department has allocated to  Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Since Saudi Arabia is a high income country, it has not received any UK Official Development Assistance in the last five years. Official Development Assistance (ODA) can only be provided to countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s list of ODA eligible recipients. Countries on this list are low income and middle income countries, according to the World Bank’s classification.

Nigeria: Conflict Prevention

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to (a) tackle the origins of  conflict in Nigeria between Fulani herdsmen and farming communities and (b) help reduce that conflict and protect communities.

Harriett Baldwin: We are deeply concerned by the suffering caused by ‎inter-communal violence in Nigeria, with several serious clashes in recent weeks. The causes of these clashes are deep rooted and complex including rights of access to land and water. The UK has supported a number of initiatives that have brought communities together and provided livelihoods and economic opportunities in the affected areas. We have raised our concerns at federal, state and local government level, as well as with religious leaders and advocacy groups. We continue to urge the Government of Nigeria to work with affected populations to develop a solution that meets the needs of all the communities affected.

United Nations: Africa

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what formal consultation she plans for the UN Global Compact’s Africa Strategy; and whether she plans to include the UN Economic Commission for Africa in that process.

Harriett Baldwin: We do not intend to carry out a formal consultation around the UN Global Compact’s Africa strategy, but we expect for them to engage with relevant partners such as the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Department for Education

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much per pupil funding has been allocated to each (a) primary school and (b) secondary school in Suffolk in each year since 2009.

Nick Gibb: The revenue funding allocated for primary and secondary education for each financial year from 2009 to 2018 for Suffolk local authority is shown in the attached table. Funding is not allocated separately for primary and secondary pupils. 



158213_Revenue_amounts_primary_and_secondary_educa
(PDF Document, 149.9 KB)

Schools: Medway

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many additional school places have been created in Medway since 2010.

Nick Gibb: 2,808 places have been added to the Medway school estate since May 2010. A net increase of 1,612 primary school places and 1,196 secondary school places. The attached table provides a further breakdown of school places in Medway.



Breakdown_of_school_places_in_Medway
(PDF Document, 7.58 KB)

Family Drug and Alcohol Court: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to continue funding the National Unit for Family Drug and Alcohol Courts; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases have been heard by each Family Drug and Alcohol Court since their inception.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 03 July 2018



Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC) are an interesting and innovative approach to supporting families. Local FDAC services, and other innovative models similar to FDAC, will continue to be funded by those local areas who choose to establish or commission these services locally.In the period 2015 to 2016, the government provided funding to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to establish the FDAC National Unit. Funding for the National Unit was originally provided on the basis that it would expand the FDAC model to new areas and that it would help the National Unit to be self-sustaining. Unfortunately, this has proved challenging, despite considerable effort and investment by both the government and the NHS trust. We have extended funding for the FDAC National Unit four times since the period 2015 to 2016.Most recently, we committed to providing funding to the NHS trust to the end of September 2018 to support its application to the government’s Life Chances Fund (LCF). The trust’s application to the LCF had two aims. The first aim was to develop a social impact bond model of funding for local FDACs. The second aim was to develop a sustainable way to fund the FDAC National Unit. Unfortunately, the trust recently decided to withdraw their application to the LCF. We understand that this means that the trust is considering the future of the FDAC National Unit, including its potential closure. Officials are working with the trust to ensure that the impact of the potential closure of the FDAC National Unit on local sites is minimised and that any resources developed by the FDAC National Unit remains accessible in the future to the trust and others interested in the FDAC model..In relation to the effectiveness of FDACs, the Department of Education has, under the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, funded a continuation study[1] (published in December 2016) which looked at the outcomes of FDAC cases five years after the original evaluation of the London Family Drug and Alcohol Court study.Data, on the number of cases that have been heard by each FDAC court since its inception, is collected and retained by local authorities who are responsible for setting up, managing and supporting local FDACs around the country, as part of their child protection and care proceedings work. The government does not collect such data.The government is committed to finding effective approaches to spreading innovative, evidence-based models of practice to local areas.  [1] Harwin J, Alrouh B, Ryan M, McQuarrie T, Golding L, Broadhurst K, Tunnard J and Swift S (December 2016) ‘After FDAC: outcomes 5 years later. Final Report’ Lancaster University. http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/cfj-fdac/publications.

Children: Day Care

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of two-year olds in Coventry who have parents in receipt of universal credit and are eligible for 15 hours of free childcare.

Nadhim Zahawi: As of January 2018, the number of families in Coventry who are taking up the free early education entitlement for two-year-olds was 1,180. This shows a take-up rate of 63% in Coventry of those eligible for this support.Once Universal Credit has been rolled out, families who are claiming Universal Credit and have net earned income equivalent of £15,400 a year and below will be eligible for 15 hours free childcare for 2 year olds. UC is one of a number of eligibility criteria for the two-year-old entitlement, which includes receipt of certain benefits; children looked after by a local authority; children who have left care; families in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or children with special educational needs or an Education and Health Care plan.

Higher Education: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the value for money for students of Higher Education studying at universities in the West Midlands.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sex and Relationship Education

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reasons are for the extension of the timetable for the implementation of statutory relationships and sex education from September 2019 to September 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to bringing in compulsory Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and supporting schools to teach high quality lessons. This is an important change to the curriculum that has to be carefully considered and delivered well. Whilst many schools will be able to adapt their existing teaching quickly, it is essential that an appropriate period is given for those schools that need more time to plan and prepare. The Department will be working with schools to help them to prepare before teaching starts. This is in line with the Department’s approach to any significant changes to the curriculum. The Department will launch a consultation on the draft regulations and statutory guidance shortly and will say more about the implementation timetable at that point.

Family Hubs

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support the Government is providing to local authorities to encourage the development of family hubs.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State launched our £8.5 million local authority Early Years Social Mobility Peer Review programme in April. This programme will help local authorities develop strategies to improve outcomes in the early years, including through the effective use of children’s centres. We will be looking to ensure that innovations such as family hubs are recognised and shared, and successful approaches can spread.

Education: Disadvantaged

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of regional inequality on educational attainment.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Blackburn to the answer I gave on 3 July 2018 to Question 157180 which included links to the available attainment data, split by region, for Key Stage 2, 4 and 16-18 study: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-06-25/157180/. The Government wants to create a country where everyone has the best start in life, no matter what their background is or where they live. Projects are being funded to raise pupils’ outcomes from an early age, train strong school leaders and support schools as well as improving outcomes for children in parts of the country that have faced long-term challenges. The Department’s £72 million Opportunity Areas programme is investing in 12 areas of the country facing challenges, including five areas in the north of England. These areas will also benefit from a share of £22 million through a new Essential Life Skills programme, to help young people develop life skills in resilience, wellbeing and employability. This builds on progress made since 2010, with 1.9 million more children in England now in good or outstanding schools, record numbers of young people in education or training - including one million apprenticeships in the north of England - and more disadvantaged pupils now going to university. The Northern Powerhouse programme includes £3.4 billion of investment in projects to boost the local economy, £12 million to spread good teaching practice in English and improve early literacy, and schemes that help families to support their child’s education at home.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2018 to Question 157123 on Students: Loans, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of those funds for early years providers to meet National Living Wage obligations.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education’s increased level of investment was based on our ‘Review of Childcare Costs’. The review looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector, including the National Living Wage. We have commissioned new research from Frontier Economics to provide further data on the cost of providing childcare, which will look at the effect of National Living Wage. This year we will also be enhancing our annual Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers with more detailed research on provider finances and childcare costs, which will take into account the National Living Wage. In terms of the rate of the National Living Wage, the independent Low Pay Commission makes recommendations, taking in to account the state of the economy and evidence from a wide range of business and workers representatives.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether non-UK EU students starting academic or technical courses ‎in college or school sixth forms in 2019 will continue to be eligible for funding until they finish their course.

Anne Milton: In order to be eligible for funding for 16-19 education and training a student must have the legal right to be resident in the United Kingdom at the start of their study programme. A non-UK EU citizen legally resident in the UK at the start of their course will continue to be eligible for the duration of their course.The published document 'Funding guidance for young people 2018 to 2019: funding regulations' sets out the eligibility rules that apply for all of the funding year, from 1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019, and states that EU and EEA nationals are eligible for funding for this period. We expect to publish the guidance for 2019 to 2020 in spring 2019.

Ministry of Justice

Wills: Publicity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's Choice not Chance campaign in 2015, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of holding another such campaign to encourage more people to make a will.

Lucy Frazer: A will is an important document, enabling someone to make clear what their wishes are, after they die. About 40% of the adult population do not have a will. We have asked the Law Commission to look at Will making in the 21st century and will assess the merits of holding another campaign once we have received and considered the Law Commission's report.

Prison Officers: Retirement

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the number of prison officers in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands who are to be affected by proposals to raise the retirement age for such officers to 68.

Rory Stewart: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage more trainee solicitors to progress into a career in criminal legal aid.

Lucy Frazer: As the legal profession in England and Wales is independent of Government, responsibility for the training of intending solicitors rests with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA is currently working on introducing a new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, which it hopes will lower costs and open up a variety of routes into the profession. The Legal Aid Agency monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on a regular basis and takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public. Last year £891 million was spent on criminal legal aid so that those who most need legal support are able to get it.

Sentencing: Females

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the women sentenced to prison in 2017 for possession of weapons received sentences of (a) 0 to 1 months, (b) 0 to 3 months, (c) 0 to 6 months, (d) 0 to 12 months, and (e) 12 months or more.

Edward Argar: The number of women sentenced to custody for sentenced to prison in 2017 for possession of weapons received sentences of (a) 0 to 1 months, (b) 0 to 3 months, (c) 0 to 6 months, (d) 0 to 12 months, and (e) 12 months or more, can be found in Table 1 below. Table 1: Number of women in sentenced prison in 2017 for possession of a weapon by sentence length.Offence type/ sentence length0-1 month0-3 months0-6 months0-12 months12 months +Possession of weapons1212244822 Public protection is our priority and there are some cases when prison remains the only suitable option. We are committed to addressing the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. That is why we have published a female offenders’ strategy, setting out a new programme of work, with investment of £5m in community solutions.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department commissioned work to construct a national database of build-out rates on large sites; what the project specification is for that work; and what the timetable is for that work to be completed.

James Brokenshire: The Department ran a competitive tender to procure data on planning applications and development pipeline, which closed on 23 March 2018.The specification for this database is publicly available at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/cc21a568-739a-4090-8b7d-d58eb8b4cb84.The specification covers a considerable amount of information relating to planning and development data. Very large sites are often complex in nature and as such the Department is currently working with the supplier to establish a robust methodology to consistently provide build-out information. This is currently being scoped and due to the complexity involved it is not possible to provide a definitive date for completion.

Private Rented Housing: Discrimination

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government have taken to tackle discrimination in the private rented sector in the last five years.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government plans to take to tackle discrimination in the private rented sector.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The law is clear - agents and landlords must not advertise or let a property in a way that unlawfully discriminates on the basis of a person’s disability, gender, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment or sexual orientation. It is important that these equirements are clearly understood and, on 26 June 2018, we published a new “How to Let “guide to help landlords better understand their rights and responsibilities. We also updated the “How to Rent” guide, which was first introduced in 2015, to support tenants to understand and exercise their rights.A number of other MHCLG policies work to combat discrimination and unfair practices. These include the introduction, in April 2018, of banning orders and a rogue landlord database designed to remove the worst landlords and agents from the sector and the requirement, since 1 October 2014, for letting and managing agents in England to belong to a Government approved redress scheme, giving tenants access to free dispute resolution where problems, including those related to discrimination, occur in relation to their agent. on 2 July we launched a consultation seeking views on how to overcome the barriers to longer tenancies to ensure that all tenants have the security they want and need.In addition, we are committed to regulating letting agents and requiring them to meet minimum training standards and comply with a code of practice, which will include treating all tenants equally. We will also require all landlords to be members of a redress scheme to ensure that all tenants, not just those who use agents, have access to quick and easy dispute resolution when things go wrong. Our eight week consultation on strengthening redress in housing closed on 16 April. We are analysing responses with a view to publishing a Government response in the Autumn.

Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government has taken to implement the recommendations of the 2013 Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: In our 2014 response to the 2013 Report, we were clear that we were disappointed that the UN Special Rapporteur had failed to correct a number of inaccuracies, which reflected on the relevance of her recommendations.We have since set out an ambitious package of long-term reform to fix the dysfunctional housing market, which includes raising the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap by a total of £1 billion in areas of high affordability pressure for local authorities who are ready to start building new homes, and increasing the Affordable Homes Programme budget to over £9 billion to deliver a wide range of affordable housing, including social rent homes. Our recent announcements, together with our Housing White Paper, put us on track to create, fund and drive a housing market which delivers 300,000 homes a year on average by the mid-2020s.To protect the most vulnerable claimants impacted by welfare reforms affecting Housing Benefit and the housing element of Universal Credit, we are providing an enhanced Discretionary Housing Payment fund (from 2011 around £1 billion to date) for local authorities. The funding enables local authorities to provide help to those in most need, allow extra time for those affected to find suitable alternative accommodation, or provide longer-term support for vulnerable households.Furthermore, to consider issues relating to social housing, including wider issues of place and community, we are publishing a Social Housing Green Paper before the summer recess – a broad review which has been informed by direct engagement with nearly 1,000 social housing residents.We are also taking action to protect tenants in the private rented sector, and on 2 July we published a consultation on Overcoming the Barriers to Longer Tenancies in the Private Rented Sector where we propose a new three year tenancy model with a six month break clause.

Planning Permission

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June to Question 151020, what the exceptional circumstances under which a strategic plan can successfully demonstrate a need for changes to green belt boundaries are.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraphs 142-3 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework, what are the very special circumstances that can lead to proposals for the Green Belt to be successful; and under what other circumstances would such proposal be successful.

Dominic Raab: For the first time, the Government has proposed that the new National Planning Policy Framework set out that a local authority, before planning to alter a Green Belt boundary, should show that it has examined all other reasonable options for addressing its identified development needs: making as much use as possible of brownfield and under-used land; optimising density; and discussing with neighbouring authorities whether they could take some of the necessary development, as agreed in a Statement of Common Ground. Beyond that, it is for the local authority to state which factors amount to exceptional circumstances. The local authority should also have regard to the purposes of Green Belt and the need for Green Belt boundaries that will endure. At examination of the revised Plan, the planning inspector will assess the soundness of any proposed change to a Green Belt boundary. Consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework closed on 10 May and, after carefully considering the comments received, we will issue the revised version before summer recess.We are not proposing to alter the ‘very special circumstances’ test a local authority applies when it receives a planning application for inappropriate development on Green Belt land. It should generally refuse planning permission for such development, but it will be for the authority to determine whether there are very special circumstances in the case, and what weight to give to each. Even if a proposal is of a type listed in the Framework as not inappropriate in Green Belt, it may still not be successful if there are other grounds warranting refusal of permission.

Occupational Therapy: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage officials working on local strategic planning to include contributions from occupational therapists in that planning to seek to improve the physical health and activity of local populations.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 03 July 2018



Contributions from development towards local infrastructure are collected primarily through two mechanisms, Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Local authorities can use both mechanisms to help fund public health infrastructure.Local planning authorities should work closely with healthcare infrastructure providers to identify infrastructure capacity and requirements over the plan period. Local planning authorities should assess the quality and capacity of infrastructure and the ability to meet forecasted demands to determine if such infrastructure is required.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire require rehousing; and how many of those people are in (a) emergency, (b) temporary and (c) permanent accommodation.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) Barandon Walk, (b) Testerton Walk, (c) Hurstway Walk, (d) Treadgold House and (e) Bramley House require rehousing as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire; and how many of those households have been rehoused in (i) emergency accommodation, (ii) temporary accommodation and (iii) permanent accommodation.

James Brokenshire: As of 2 July 2018, the latest data from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea shows that 204 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk require rehousing. Of this number, 43 households are living in hotels, 22 in serviced apartments and 3 with friends and family. 49 households are currently living in temporary accommodation, and 87 households have moved into a permanent home.Council tenants from Barandon Walk, Testerton Walk, Hurstway Walk, Treadgold House and Bramley House who do not feel able to remain in their homes are eligible to be permanently rehoused under the Wider Grenfell Rehousing Policy. As of 2 July 2018, 12 of these households are living in hotels, 3 are living in serviced apartments and 74 households are currently living in temporary accommodation; some of these households are waiting to be permanently rehoused, while others are considering whether they feel able to return to their homes on the Estate. 2 households have moved to new permanent accommodation.In order to prevent individual households being made identifiable, I am unable to provide a breakdown of the location of these households based on which part of the Estate they originally lived in.

Leasehold: Legislation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to bring forward legislation banning the unjustified use of leaseholds on new homes.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for leaseholders and freeholders and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.We will ban the unjustified use of leaseholds on new houses and we will bring forward legislation to do this at the earliest opportunity. Any new government funding scheme will contain the condition that the money cannot support the unjustified use of leasehold for new houses. We want to build more homes but not at any cost. This is an essential step to restore pride and dignity to homeowners everywhere.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish his departmental spending over £25,000 since 7 May 2015.

James Brokenshire: All central government departments must publish details of their spending over £25,000 each month.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government voluntarily lowered that threshold for core spend and have published transactions over £250 since May 2012. Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-spending-over-250#2015The datasets available currently run up to April 2018.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Conflict: Casualties

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to establish permanent arrangements to be activated automatically at the start of any UK military campaign to (a) record and (b) report estimated civilian casualties caused by UK military action; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of such arrangements being established (i) within his Department exclusively or (ii) on a cross-departmental basis.

Mark Lancaster: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him to Question 158137 on 4 July 2018.



158137 - WQnA extract on Armed Conflict Casualties
(Word Document, 23.53 KB)

Tornado Aircraft: Safety Measures

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 30091, whether the Traffic Collision Avoidance System fitted to Tornado GR 4 aircraft is the Honeywell TCAS II system and not TCAS I as indicated in a number of AIRPROX (Near miss) reports.

Guto Bebb: The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) fitted to Tornado GR4 aircraft is the Honeywell TCAS II system and not TCAS I, as incorrectly indicated in a small number of Airprox reports.

Diego Garcia: USA

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2018 to Question 154747, and with reference to the article in the New Internationalist of 11 June 2018 entitled Catastrophic explosion risk on Diego Garcia, what assessment he has made of the US Navy’s contention that the limited space in the lagoon could lead to an explosion with catastrophic impact on personnel, ships, and shore facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The US Navy exercises considerable caution when considering explosive arcs for any of its ships. The anchorages in the lagoon are positioned such that their explosive arcs do not affect permanently inhabited areas of the island.

Military Alliances: Disclosure of Information

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what processes his Department has in place to tackle the leaking of correspondence from allies.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence treats security very seriously and provides thorough guidance to all our employees on how to keep defence information secure. We do not comment on detailed security measures as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

USA: Military Alliances

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has held discussions with his US counterpart on their leaked correspondence of 12 June regarding UK defence spending; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Williamson: I am regularly in contact with my US counterpart during which we discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest including how we might encourage other allies to match the UK's commitment at the Wales NATO Summit to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence.

NATO Countries: Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which NATO countries provided Maritime Patrol Aircraft for use in UK airspace between 25 June and 2 July 2018.

Mark Lancaster: Maritime Patrol Aircraft from the United States and Canada were temporarily deployed to RAF Lossiemouth during the period in question.

Aircraft Carriers: Repairs and Maintenance

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 27 June 2018 to Question 158218 on Aircraft Carriers: Repairs and Maintenance, when he is planning for a contract to be awarded.

Guto Bebb: We plan to award the contract for the first dry docking of HMS Queen Elizabeth in the final quarter of 2018.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former claimants of disability living allowance in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency are (a) in receipt of Personal Independence Payments and (b) not receiving a replacement benefit.

Sarah Newton: The number of people who are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and who previously received Disability Living Allowance (DLA) can be found in Stat-Xplore under the PIP claims in payment table: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. These statistics provide a breakdown by parliamentary constituency and reassessment indicator of the number of PIP claims in payment each month since PIP was introduced in April 2013.It should be noted that the PIP claims in payment table gives the number of people in receipt of PIP at the end of the chosen month.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.The number of disallowances for PIP for claimants who previously had a DLA award can also be found under the PIP clearances table in Stat Xplore and can be broken down by parliamentary constituency. This data shows the initial DWP decision only. Replacement benefits could include PIP and Attendance Allowance (AA) for those who are eligible.

Personal Independence Payment: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how health assessments are prioritised for people moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payments in (a) the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency and (b) Scotland.

Sarah Newton: Other than for claims being made under the special rules for people who are terminally ill, claims to Personal Independence Payment, including assessments, are not subject to a prioritisation process.

Marriage Guidance: Finance

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether new voluntary sector organisations are eligible to access the £39 million of funding provided by her Department for relationship support services in local communities.

Kit Malthouse: The Reducing Parental Conflict Programme is funded by up to £39m, and will encourage councils across England to integrate evidence-based services and approaches to addressing parental conflict that work for their local families.Just over a quarter of the programme budget will be used to build the evidence base for which interventions work to reduce parental conflict, and provide access to face-to-face support to reduce parental conflict in 30 local authorities across England. The procurement process for the delivery of the face-to-face interventions will be open to any interested party as an open competition.To help potential suppliers to prepare for these opportunities, we recently published a Prior Information Notice which outlined the timescales for the procurement. This notice advised suppliers that we will be launching an opportunity in July for expert organisations to bid to deliver the face-to-face interventions which DWP will be funding, with these contracts in place by January 2019. Full details of this process will be available when the Invitation to Tender is published. Organisations interested in bidding for the face-to-face contracts will be able to access the procurement opportunities on Contracts Finder, and can register their interest on Bravo.In addition to the procurement of face-to-face services, we have also announced £6m of joint funding with the Department of Health and Social Care, aimed at improving the outcomes of children of alcohol-dependent parents, and we expect that there will be opportunities for voluntary sector organisations to participate in this work.

Personal Independence Payment

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payments applicants who have previously been awarded the mobility component have been reassessed as no longer requiring the mobility component in the last twelve months.

Sarah Newton: We have interpreted the request to mean Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessments to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The most recent published data on DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes shows data up until October 2017. We have therefore provided data for the twelve month period previous to October 2017. Most people reassessed for PIP will continue to have their mobility needs supported through the enhanced or standard rate mobility component. Of the 355,700 claimants that received the mobility component under DLA and were reassessed for PIP during this period, 67% also received it under PIP. Source: PIP Computer System claimant records and DLA Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study claimant data (1st November 2016 to 31st October 2017). Notes: 1. PIP Reassessment outcome shows the outcome of the first DWP decision on each reassessment claim (i.e. they reflect outcomes prior to any reconsideration appeal action and award review), where that decision was made between 1st November 2016 and 31st October 2017.2. For each individual who has a PIP reassessment outcome their PIP entitlement has been compared to their DLA entitlement at the time of their PIP reassessment registration.3. Figures include reassessment outcomes for individuals who were aged between 16 and 64 on 8th April 2013, and include both PIP Normal Rules and Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claims.4. Figures exclude withdrawn cases and disallowances pre-referral to the AP.5. The breakdown of data provided is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.7. Figures are for Great Britain only.

Universal Credit: Housing

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants of universal credit claimants with a rent liability receive their first payment of housing costs within two months of their date of claim.

Kit Malthouse: For claims to UC that are entitled to support for housing costs and due a first payment in March 2018, which is the most recent month for which internal figures are available, more than 90% of claims (30,000 claims) receive their support for housing within 2 months of the date of claim.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of administering split payments of universal credit for claimants in Scotland.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not currently available.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with three or more children received (a) tax credits and (b) universal credit from April 2017 in (i) Wirral, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) the North West and (iv) the UK.

Alok Sharma: The information requested could only be made available at disproportionate cost. National data regarding the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children in both Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries: Netherlands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with EU officials on the use of electric shock fishing methods in Holland which are illegal in the UK.

George Eustice: There have been no discussions with EU officials on electric shock fishing methods which are illegal in the UK. Discussions on the use of electric pulse beam trawls in the southern North Sea have been ongoing. These have occurred as EU institutions consider the derogation which has allowed 5% of each Member State’s beam trawl fleet to fish using pulse technology in EU waters, for the last ten years. The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council negotiating position agreed in February this year was to maintain the current derogation, although the UK advocated its suspension pending further scientific evidence.   During consideration of the latest available science on pulse fishing at the June meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, I emphasised a particular UK interest in this issue and signposted original research being carried out by our own scientists on this technology which is due to report in 2019.

Forestry

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of continuous cover forestry for the production of (a) sustainable quality timber production and (b) public goods including improved water quality, water retention and biodiversity.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Continuous Cover Forestry is the default approach to forestry management in England and Wales.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Continuous Cover Forestry is not the default approach to forestry management in England. The UK Forestry Standard advises forest managers to consider Continuous Cover Forestry where this is suitable to the site and species combination, and if this is compatible with land management objectives. Broadleaved woodland – which makes up approximately 49% of forest cover in the UK – is generally managed on a continuous cover basis.   Government is currently undertaking research and trials in England, Scotland and Wales investigating how continuous cover forestry (CCF) can provide sustainable quality timber, more resilient forests, and other public benefits. Further details can be found at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/managing-resilient-forests/continuous-cover-silviculture/   Forestry is a devolved matter, meaning it is not for the UK Government to answer questions on Welsh forestry policy.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s targets are for levels of household waste recycling after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy in 2018 aimed at making the UK a world leader in resource efficiency. It will ensure resources are used more efficiently and kept in use for longer, and set out how we will work towards eliminating all avoidable waste by 2050. This is consistent with the EU’s Circular Economy Package and in some respects goes beyond it. As we develop the Resource and Waste Strategy we will explore whether new, more innovative targets can be developed that deliver clear benefits over those proposed by the EU. Should they be preferable, the UK Government will present proposals to the UK Parliament following withdrawal from the EU. Until that point the UK will continue to meet its obligations under law, including any new EU targets should they be implemented as part of a transitional agreement when we leave the EU.

Plastics: Waste

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards are in place to ensure that the UK does not export plastic waste to countries where child labour is used in the process of processing and recycling that waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Businesses involved in the export of all wastes are required to take the necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner without endangering human health throughout its shipment and during its recycling.The UK supports the International Labour Organisation convention on child labour. At the 2017 Global Conference on Child Labour and Forced Labour we pledged to carry out concrete actions towards the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 to accelerate the elimination of all forms of child labour. Through our flagship £30 million programme to promote Responsible, Accountable and Transparent Enterprise (RATE) we are working with partners such as the UN Global Compact and the non-profit organisation B Lab, to encourage companies to achieve higher social standards and operate in a more environmentally sustainable way.The UK environmental regulators provide easily understood guidance for those responsible for exporting waste which allows anyone involved in the export of waste to determine which wastes can be legitimately exported to which countries and the procedures they must follow to do things legally.Last year the Environment Agency issued 130 stop notices, prohibiting the export of unsuitable wastes. It also stopped 4,565 tonnes of waste destined for illegal export at ports and intervened further upstream to prevent a further 15,113 tonnes of waste from reaching our ports. This work ensures we are not exporting our problem wastes for unsuitable treatment or disposal.Our ambition is to handle more of our waste in the UK. While there has been a significant increase in recycling over the last 10 years, there is more that needs to be done and we will set out proposals in our Waste and Resources Strategy.

Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his response to the consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill.

George Eustice: I refer my Hon Friend to the reply given to the Hon Member for Bristol East on 27 March 2018 to PQ 133919.

Flowers: UK Trade with EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans have been made to ensure minimum delays at customs after the UK leaves the EU for florists who receive their flowers through Rotterdam.

George Eustice: I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 29 June 2018 to PQ 157086.

Asda: J Sainsbury

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) farmers and (b) food producers receive a fair price for their goods in the event of a merger of Asda and Sainsburys.

George Eustice: Supermarkets that come under the Groceries Supply Code of Practice are regulated by the Groceries Code Adjudicator. The Adjudicator’s role is to make sure that businesses who supply directly to large supermarkets are treated lawfully and fairly. Many farmers and producers do not supply supermarkets directly, and earlier this year the Government announced a package of measures to help farmers by improving transparency and integrity in the supply chain. These measures included: - A ‘collaboration fund’ of up to £10 million to help support farmers to come together and strengthen their position. This fund is currently being developed with industry and will be launched later this year.- A commitment to consult on mandatory written contracts in the dairy sector and sheep carcase classification. The consultation on sheep carcase classification is currently open, and we intend to launch the consultation on mandatory written contracts shortly.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent meetings the Animal and Plant Health Agency has had with farmers in (a) West Sussex and (b) Mid Sussex constituency on TB.

George Eustice: Since December 2017 the Animal and Plant Health Agency has had two meetings with Sussex farmers and National Farmers Union on TB. The meetings took place on 12 December 2017 and 29 June 2018.

Sky Lanterns: Droughts

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban sky lanterns during periods of severe drought.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are currently no plans to bring forward legislation in this area. There is a responsibility on individuals to recognise the impact these products can have, particularly on very dry land.

Droughts: Fire Prevention

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will order a comprehensive review of the trigger points on the Fire Severity Index on account of the current drought.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England (NE) will work with the Met Office to review the operation of the Fire Severity Index, based on the best available evidence. It will consider in the light of this review whether any changes to the calibration of the Index need to be made in due course. NE will do this in collaboration with its fellow ‘relevant authorities’ (including national park authorities) who share its statutory role of giving directions to close areas of open access land when necessary.

Rights of Way: Fire Prevention

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance he is giving to Access Authorities on the need to manage access at times of severe fire risk.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Access Authorities have their own guidance for managing operational risks including severe fire risk. Where Natural England or another relevant authority have powers to close access to land designated as open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, procedures are in place to ensure that administrative closure of the land can be achieved quickly.

Home Office

Refugees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of refugees received by the UK since 1 January 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Refugee status is conferred following a grant of asylum. An asylum seeker may only become a refugee once asylum has been granted. Not all asylum seekers are deemed to be refugees and not all refugees claim asylum.The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum applications received each quarter, broken down by nationality, in table as_01_q (asylum, volume 1) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The latest data available are for January to March 2018. Data for April to June 2018 will be published on 23rd August 2018.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709299/asylum1-mar-2018-tables.ods

Counter-terrorism: Departmental Responsibilities

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the (a) roles and (b) responsibilities of his Department for (a) Prevent and (b) counter-extremism strategies.

Mr Ben Wallace: Our updated and strengthened CONTEST strategy comprises Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare work strands, each reducing an element of the risk from terrorism (intent, capability, vulnerability and impact), and collectively providing a balanced and comprehensive end to end response to the threat we face.Prevent safeguards and supports people vulnerable to radicalisation, to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Our 2015 Counter-Extremism Strategy tackles the non-terrorist harms that ideologically driven extremism causes in communities. The Home Office has lead responsibility for delivering both strategies and coordinating work across government.

Counter-terrorism

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budgets are for Prevent contractors in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Mr Ben Wallace: We do not provide detailed information about the funding allocation of local Prevent activity.

Counter-terrorism

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the list of contractors for the Prevent programme in receipt of contracted payments in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations have been awarded contracts by his Department for the implementation of (a) Prevent and (b) other counter-extremism strategies in this fiscal year.

Mr Ben Wallace: As per the Government’s transparency and accountability policy all expenditure (individual invoices, grant payments, expense payments or other such transactions) is reported and published on the GOV.UK website. The minimum requirement from 2010‐11 for central government entities is to publish transactions over £25,000.

Counter-terrorism

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria his Department used for the selection of Prevent contractors in 2017-18.

Mr Ben Wallace: In delivery of the Prevent programme, resources are focused in those locations where the threat from terrorism and radicalisation is highest. We support these communities to develop bespoke projects, best suited to tackle the threat from radicalisation, based on our collective analysis of the local threat picture in priority areas.

Moorland: Fires

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary for State for Defence in on  the Army's role in supporting Fire and Rescue Service in relation to the Lancashire moorland fires.

Mr Nick Hurd: There have not been discussions between the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Defence on the Army’s role in supporting Fire and Rescue Service in relation to the Lancashire moorland fires. At the time of this response, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have not requested any military support to help fight these fires. However, the Government stands ready to respond to formal requests for additional help and support.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the issuing of a licence to Billy Caldwell for medicinal cannabis.

Mr Nick Hurd: As you will be aware on the weekend of 16 -17 June the Home Secretary issued an emergency licence to Billy Caldwell to access a schedule 1 controlled drug.This particular licence was issued as a short-term solution based on the urgency of the case and currently remains valid. For the longer term, either the Home Office or the Department of Health in Northern Ireland will need to consider a full Schedule 1 application from a senior specialist clinician. This can only happen if this is the course of action recommended by Billy Caldwell’s medical team.The expert panel that has been established to consider applications to prescribe cannabis and cannabis based medicinal products is now operational and in a position to start considering applications.

Firearms

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandating that a person in possession of an antique firearm hold (a) a certificate of technical obsolescence or (b) other proof of that firearm's irreversibility.

Mr Nick Hurd: As set out in our Serious Violence Strategy, the Government is committed to strengthening controls on antique firearms to tackle their increasing use in crime. We included in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 a power to define in law which firearms can safely be regarded as antique and which still present a danger to the public and therefore require licensing.We held a public consultation late last year to seek views on the technical detail of how best to define ‘antique firearm’ in law. We are now carefully considering the consultation responses before laying draft regulations later this year.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2018 to Question 156493 on Immigration: EU Nationals, what consultation his Department is carrying out with (a) employers, (b) landlords and (c) other service providers to test the (i) process by which EU citizens will evidence their status and (ii) usability of EU citizens’ digital proof of their UK immigration status.

Caroline Nokes: An online service enabling non-EEA migrants holding a biometric immigration document to verify their right to work to an employer is already available. This service has been developed based on extensive research and testing with job applicants and employers, including those with low digital skills, and their feedback continues to inform improvements to the service.Research with job applicants and employers is now under way to look specifically at how EU citizens will be able to evidence their status online in future. We will be conducting research with all potential users of these services – both migrants and service providers. In addition to user testing, as part of the EU Settlement Scheme, the HO conducts monthly meetings with Users and Community Groups, Employers, EU27 Consulates and Commission and a specific group with those who represent the vulnerable.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2018 to Question 156493 on Immigration: EU Nationals, which devices will be compatible with the identity verification app for EU settlement.

Caroline Nokes: Our digital, streamlined, user-friendly scheme can be applied for on any computer, tablet or smartphone. As part of this simple process, people will need to verify their identity, to protect against fraud and abuse today, there are two ways for a person to prove their identity and nationality securely: submitting a document by post or presenting in person at a specified location. We are developing a new, third option for people of confirming their identity and document authenticity remotely from the comfort of their own home – via an app which can be accessed on smartphones and tablets.Currently, all the required ID verification steps only work completely on Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled Android devices, Apple users can complete some of the steps with an IOS app but will be required to submit their document. The HO and Apple continue to engage positively to see if we can achieve the same outcome for those with Apple devices as those with Android devices.To stress, this app will not be the only way that people can prove their identity; they will still be able to post their documents to us if they wish.This is about providing options for EU citizens and improving the customer experience for as many people as possible who chose to use this option.

Migrant Workers: Restaurants

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 June 2018, HCWS768, if he will make representations to the Migration Advisory Committee to include in its review of the Shortage Occupation List, the (a) salary threshold and (b) eligibility criteria for Tier 2 visas for skilled chefs in the ethnic cuisine sector of the catering industry.

Caroline Nokes: In parallel to the changes we announced on 15 June to exempt doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 (General) cap on a temporary basis, the Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the full composition of the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List (SOL). This will enable the MAC to look at the operation of the SOL and which posts are in national shortage and should be given priority within the cap.We have asked the MAC to report by Spring 2019, as they currently have two significant commissions on EU migration and international students, both of which are due to be published in September.

State Visits: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the police and security operation during President Trump's planed visit in July 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has not made an assessment of the total costs at this stage. Police forces hosting elements of the visit will include costs in their operational plans, but these have yet to be finalised. It is likely that significant costs falling to forces in England and Wales will be met through the Police Special Grant, which is available to assist forces with the costs of unexpected, unplanned or major events.Separate arrangements are in place for Scotland, where responsibility for policing is devolved. HM Treasury has confirmed ring fenced funding of up to £5m would be provided to cover any potential costs incurred by Police Scotland should a visit from the President be confirmed.

Visas: Married People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to lower the minimum income requirement for disabled people applying for a spousal visa.

Caroline Nokes: The minimum income requirement must be met by all those who are subject to it. However, we recognise that some sponsors will have a reduced earning capacity as a result of disability or caring for someone with a disability. Therefore, an applicant whose sponsor is in receipt of a specified disability-related benefit or Carer’s Allowance will be exempt from meeting the minimum income requirement. In such cases the sponsor is required to demonstrate adequate maintenance. In exceptional circumstances, where a refusal leads to a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights other sources of income can be taken into account in order to meet the minimum income requirement.The Supreme Court has upheld the lawfulness of the minimum income requirement for spouse visas, which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. The Supreme Court agreed that it strikes a fair balance between the interests of those wishing to sponsor a spouse to settle in the UK and of the community in general.

Immigration

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many administrative reviews his Department has undertaken of immigration cases in the last 12 months.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many administrative reviews of immigration cases undertaken by his Department have resulted in a decision being upheld in the last 12 months.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many administrative reviews of immigration cases undertaken by his Department have resulted in a decision being (a) overturned and (b) sent back to a decision maker for reconsideration in the last 12 months.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of administrative reviews of immigration cases undertaken by his Department have resulted in a decision being upheld in the last 12 months.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of administrative reviews of immigration cases undertaken by his Department have resulted in a decision being (a) overturned or (b)  sent back to a decision maker for reconsideration in the last 12 months.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department collects data on administrative reviews of immigration cases.

Caroline Nokes: Information pertaining to the numbers and outcomes of administrative reviews is not released publicly.

Wales Office

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the list of invitees to the Second Severn Crossing renaming ceremony.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what costs to the public purse have been incurred as a result of renaming the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what costs to the public purse were incurred as a result of the renaming ceremony for the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish his departmental organogram for 2017.

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff are employed in (i) payroll and (ii) non-payroll back-office functions in his Department.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, who remain the employer. The Office therefore does not have a payroll function. The number of staff working in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland at 30 June 2018 by Area of Work is: DivisionStaff in Post*Director1Business Support9Communications16Constitutional Policy and EU Exit13Corporate Services, Finance and Governance9Policy Division16Private Office8 *Numbers provided are Staff in Post. Full-Time Equivalent is significantly lower as a result of part-time and reduced hours contracts.

Scotland Office: Staff

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish his Department's monthly workforce management data for 2017-18.

David Mundell: Workforce management data is published in the Department’s Annual Report. The Annual Report for 2017-18 is currently being prepared for publication.

Scotland Office: Public Expenditure

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish his Department's spending over £25,000 since 1 January 2018.

David Mundell: All spending over £25,000 since January 2018 is available on the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland website:Publications - GOV.UK

Scotland Office: Public Expenditure

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish his Department's spending over £25,000 for 2017.

David Mundell: All spending over £25,000 for 2017 is available on the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland website:Publications - GOV.UK

Aviation: Fife

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with (a) Edinburgh Airport and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority on Edinburgh Airport's application for new flight paths over Fife.

David Mundell: This Government recognises that the aviation industry is a major contributor to the economy, bringing people together and showing the world Britain is open for business, and ministers have regular meetings with stakeholders right across the aviation and aerospace sectors to discuss what we can do to enable them to thrive. Proposals for airspace change are handled by the UK’s independent airspace and safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which has its own airspace change process.

Cabinet Office

Food Banks

Kate Hollern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons government departments do not substantively answer parliamentary questions on food bank usage.

Mr David Lidington: It is for individual Departments to ensure that written Parliamentary Questions (PQs) are answered in line with the Ministerial Code. The Ministerial Code sets out that Ministers must give accurate and truthful information to Parliament. The Cabinet Office produces guidance to officials on drafting answers to PQs. This is available on GOV.UK; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance.

Civil Servants: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many UK civil servants are on secondment to foreign governments.

Oliver Dowden: Departments are responsible for their own secondment activity, both inward and outward, in order to meet their business and staff development needs. Responsibility for on-going secondments transferred back to departments in May 2017. We therefore no longer track secondments centrally and are unable to provide any information about UK civil servants who may currently be on secondment to any international governments.

British Irish Council

Conor McGinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Ministers have attended which plenaries of the British Irish Council since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The UK Government Ministers in attendance at each of the British-Irish Council Summits that have taken place since 2010 are listed below. Date / location of SummitUK Government Ministers in attendance25 June 2010, GuernseySecretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson MP Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Mr. Charles Hendry MP13 December 2010, Isle of ManDeputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson MP20 June 2011, LondonDeputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson MP Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Mr. Charles Hendry MP Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. David Gauke MP13 January 2012, DublinDeputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson MP22 June 2012, Stirling Castle, ScotlandSecretary of State for Scotland, Rt. Hon Michael Moore MP Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Rt. Hon. Edward Davey MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson MP26 November 2012, CardiffSecretary of State for Wales, Rt. Hon David Jones MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP21 June 2013, Derry~ LondonderryDeputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Baroness Sandip Verma15 November 2013, JerseySecretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Minister of Justice, Rt Hon Lord McNally13 June 2014, GuernseyDeputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Robert Goodwill MP28 November 2014, Isle of ManSecretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Rt Hon Francis Maude MP19 June 2015, DublinSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Minister of State for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, Rt Hon Mike Penning MP27 November 2015, LondonSecretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Lord Gardiner of Kimble17 June 2016, GlasgowSecretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon David Mundell MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP Minister of State for Community and Social Care, Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP22 July 2016, CardiffSecretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Rt Hon David Jones MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Lord Dunlop25 November 2016, CardiffSecretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, Mr Robin Walker MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years Ms Caroline Dinenage MP10 November 2017, JerseySecretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union Robin Walker MP Parliamentary Secretary and Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency Caroline Nokes MP22 June 2018, GuernseyChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt Hon David Lidington MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, Robin Walker MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Public Sector: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his speech to the Reform think-tank on 25 June 2018 on public service reform, whether outsourcing companies that fail to meet targets on social issues set out in the Government's Transformation Strategy will be designated as high risk suppliers.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department plans to take in the event that outsourcing companies fail to meet the targets set out in the Government's action plans for tackling social issues and disparities.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his speech to the Reform think-tank on 25 June 2018, whether Crown Representatives will be responsible for monitoring the performance of strategic suppliers as it relates to social value.

Oliver Dowden: We are clear that to build a fairer society, we must use the government’s purchasing power to lead the way. We have already published a Supplier Code of Conduct to make clear the standards and behaviours that are expected of our suppliers when they work with government and we will now develop proposals for the government’s biggest suppliers to publish data and provide action plans for how they plan to address key social issues and disparities, such as ethnic minority representation in their workforce, the gender pay gap throughout the company and what they aredoing to tackle the scourge of modern slavery. In requiring these suppliers to publish data and explain how they will tackle these priority areas, we remain committed to preventing any additional unnecessary burdens for businesses. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Rt Hon. David Lidington, has commissioned a review of these priority areas, and will announce the outcomes later this year.

Infrastructure and Projects Authority: Managers

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many project and programme managers have been recruited by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to work on projects relating to the UK leaving the EU; and how many of those managers' contracts are of a duration that is (a) permanent, (b) less than 12 months and (c) greater than 12 months.

Oliver Dowden: The Infrastructure and Projects Authority supports departments by running centralised recruitment campaigns for project delivery professionals. We are unable to provide details of how many of these individuals have been matched to roles linked to EU Exit, or to specify details of individual contracts.

Crown Commercial Service: Contracts

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision Crown Commercial Service to cancel the tender for the Crown Marketplace development phase on its ability to fulfil the initial aims of the project.

Oliver Dowden: The aims of the Crown Marketplace remain the same. As the test phase is now over, Crown Commercial Service has carefully considered how the programme should be taken forward. Whilst they have decided not to proceed with a procurement of a replacement e-purchasing platform at this stage, they expect to invest more in the Crown Marketplace in this financial year than ever before and are planning to launch up to 10 new digital solutions in the near future to help customers access deals for common goods and services more easily and get value for money for the taxpayer.

Treasury

Diesel Fuel: Smuggling

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle the availability and use of illegal diesel fuel.

Robert Jenrick: HMRC continually refreshes its comprehensive anti-fraud oils strategy introduced in 2002, when fuel duty fraud involving illicit diesel cost the UK around £1.6bn in lost revenue. Latest estimates for 2016-17 indicate the tax gap for fuel duty has fallen to £200m across the UK. In Northern Ireland, where fuel fraud has been a particular problem, the illicit market share has reduced from 26% to 6% over the same period.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Ben Lake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the surcharge for paying for road tax either monthly or as two six-month payments was set at five per cent.

Ben Lake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department implemented the five per cent surcharge for paying road tax either monthly or as two six-month payments.

Robert Jenrick: In October 2014, the Government reformed Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to allow motorists to pay by Direct Debit either monthly, six monthly, or annually. To limit the impact on the public finances a five per cent surcharge was introduced on monthly and six monthly direct debit payments. Previously this surcharge was 10%. This surcharge recognises the loss of interest resulting from delayed payments.

Working Tax Credit

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost to the public purse has been of working tax credit childcare since that policy was introduced.

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of working tax credit childcare to the end of the current spending review period.

Elizabeth Truss: The government currently spends over £1 billion a year on childcare support through Working Tax Credit. The government is introducing Universal Credit, which will provide claimants with support for up to 85% of their eligible costs, up from the 70% support available in Working Tax Credit. As a consequence, the government expects to spend £300m a year more on childcare support for low-income working households.

Imports: Western Sahara

Ian Lavery: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the 21 December 2016 ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Polisario v Council, whether all products from Western Sahara entering the UK under the ISO code EH are classed as Moroccan products.

Mel Stride: ISO code ‘EH’ is the international code for Western Sahara. It should be used when importing goods from Western Sahara into the UK.

Children: Day Care

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been invited to sign up for help to save accounts since the introduction of tax-free childcare.

John Glen: I refer the member to the answer given to her question of 11 June 2018 [UIN 150246].

Transport: North of England

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding, in real terms, has been allocated from the public purse to transport infrastructure in the north of England in each year since 1993.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on funding allocated from the public purse to transport infrastructure in the north of England in each year since 1993 is not available. However, estimates of capital expenditure including transport by country and region are available. HM Treasury published the Country and Regional Analysis of public expenditure in November 2017 featuring capital and current functional expenditure by region for the five-years of outturn from 2012-13 to 2016-17. These are available in table A.8e. A link to the HM Treasury data are available below. Click on the further link to the ‘A’ tables:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/country-and-regional-analysis-2017 For a longer time series the ONS have published country and regional public sector finances in May 2017. The dataset shows public expenditure by functions that include transport by each region from 1999-2000 to 2015-16. A link to ONS data are available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/datasets/countryandregionalpublicsectorfinancesexpendituretables Both the HMT and ONS datasets are in nominal terms.

Instalment Credit

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussion he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the cap on rent-to-own lending to start in April 2019.

John Glen: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. This includes regular meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to discuss relevant regulatory issues. The government welcomed the FCA’s May update on high-cost credit, including a proposal to cap the cost of rent-to-own. The Government will continue to work closely with the FCA to ensure that all rent-to-own customers are treated fairly.

Brexit

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 154781 on Brexit, what steps his Department has taken in order to calculate the value of the dividend arising from the UK leaving the EU.

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 154782 on Brexit, if he will publish the details of his Department’s calculation of the value of the dividend arising from the UK leaving the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: The UK’s exit from the European Union will mean that we no longer pay an annual membership subscription to the EU. The OBR forecast our future EU contributions at fiscal events and, in March 2018, produced an estimate of our financial settlement with the EU. On 18 June, the Prime Minister set out an increase in funding for the NHS in England. It will be funded from a combination of sources, including funding we will no longer be sending to the EU and taxpayers contributing a bit more in a fair and balanced way. The Chancellor will set out further details in due course.

Personal Savings

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal plans he has to increase the level of personal savings in this Parliament.

John Glen: The Government is committed to supporting savers at all stages of life and has introduced a range of measures in recent years to help people build their savings in the way that is right for them. This year we are introducing a new Help to Save scheme to support working families on low incomes to build up a rainy-day fund, by offering a 50% bonus on up to £50 of monthly savings. We have also increased the ISA allowance by a record amount to £20,000 and introduced a Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and £500 for higher rate taxpayers. Thanks to these measures over 95% of people pay no tax on their savings income. Alongside savings measures, the Government has made significant progress on reducing taxes so that working families can take home more of what they earn. As a result of increases to the personal allowance, a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay £1,075 less income tax in 2018-19, compared to 2010-11. The Chancellor of the Exchequer keeps all tax policy under review to be considered as part of the budget process.

Ports

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to prepare UK ports for when the UK leaves the EU.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that waiting times at UK ports do not increase as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Mel Stride: The Government recognises the importance of trade fluidity through the UK’s key ports to the country’s economy, and is committed to ensuring that trade is as frictionless as possible through those locations after we leave the EU. The cross-government Border Delivery Group are engaging with authorities, port users and operators domestically and at key EU ports to understand what the synergies and constraints are in different locations, and to discuss how to ensure locations are operationally ready to meet with Government requirements when the UK leaves the EU.

Prime Minister

British Irish Council

Conor McGinn: To ask the Prime Minister, on which occasions she has attended meetings of the British-Irish Council since taking office.

Mrs Theresa May: A list of Ministerial delegates at each Summit are included in the official communiques published following a Summit meeting. These can be found on the British-Irish Council website https://www.britishirishcouncil.org/publications

Women and Equalities

Females: Directors

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the recent reduction in the number of women in FTSE 100 finance chief roles.

Victoria Atkins: While there has been a dip in the number of female Chief Financial Officers in the FTSE 100 this year, there has been a significant increase in the number for the FTSE 250 since 2015 and therefore the FTSE 350 as a whole. Mid-year figures for the Hampton-Alexander Review released last Wednesday showed that 29% of all FTSE 100 board positions are now held by women, up from 12.5% in 2011. The Review has launched an online portal for all FTSE 350 companies to submit wider female leadership data. This will track progress against 2017’s extended targets for 33% of women across the Executive Committee and their Direct Reports. These targets will help ensure there is a sustainable pipeline of women for all FTSE 100 board roles including finance chief roles.

Equal Pay: STEM Subjects

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle the gender pay gap in STEM industries.

Victoria Atkins: In 2017 we introduced ground breaking regulations requiring large employers from all sectors, including STEM industries, to report gender pay gap information annually.This increased level of transparency highlights where women are being held back in the workplace, and is motivating employers to tackle their gender pay gaps.Government will be engaging with businesses and educators over the coming months to understand more about the barriers for women in the STEM workforce.

Women's Centres: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Treasury on funding for women's centres in Coventry.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the provision of women’s centres to reduce the number of short-term prison sentences given to women in Coventry.

Victoria Atkins: Local funding for women’s centres is a matter for my Right Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice. The Minister for Women and Equalities has not had any discussions with the Treasury on this. In addition, I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on this topic on 26th June 2018.